Forever Young There was no doubt thai Spring Singhad been and would always be an integral part of Harding. It was a musical performance that incorporated hundreds of Hard ing students each year and would n ot have been possible for the p ast 16 years without the leadership of the husband and wife duo, Steve and Dotti e Frye. Planning a Spring Sing show was never a small undertaking, it was a year-round end eavo r. somet ilTIes taking even longer. The first part of th e process was coming up with a th eme. Spring Si ng coordinator D,', Steve Frye said he tried to work two to three years out wh en coming up with a theme, however it needed to be something that was current and relevant. "Sometimes you get a germ of an idea and it spreads," Steve said. For Spring Sing 20IO Frye though t "Multiculturalism" was a good theme because it could b e so Harding centric. It was a tremendous showcase fO I· campus talent that involved about I ,OOO peop le. H owever, only 700-800 people that helped with Spring Sing were on stage. The show comprised more than just the clubs and the hosts. It involved the J azz Band , Ensemble. ushers. tech c rew, fo ll ow spot operators and numerous others. It truly was a place of involvement for everyone. "One of the reasons I love working with Spring Sing is the opportunity to m eet and work with students that I would not normally meet in the classroom," Dott ie Frye, co-coordina– tor for Spring Sing sa id. " I love to p erform and truly enjoy being able to provide that opportunity for students who love it as much as I do." C lub directors usually met in th e fall with the Fryes and others to learn the basics such as musical choice and arrang– ing, staging and choreography. Work on the sets for Spri ng Sing typically began som e time after the Homecoming mu – sical was over and c leaned off the stage. Host and ensemble tryouts were in the fall as well, all leading up to the crucial spring semester. Most of the students knew what the spring semester held for them if th ey were involved in Spring Sing: many, many hours of practice, week after week . Spring Sing took even mor e time from the Fryes and thei r co -workers, but there was no doubt that th ey loved doing it and found it rewarding. "Mostly, I treasure the relationships formed during the reh earsal process," Dottie sa id. "Laughter , hard work, chal – lenges and tdumphs all sh a .·ed create bonds that we won't lose or forget. That 's the best part ofwhat we do. It 's the people every time that bl"ing me back. " During a typical Spring Si n g weekend , the show was per – formed for IO,OOO- I2.000 people over five performances each yea r. " It is a great moment for kids and I'm happy to facilitate that ," Steve said. "Th ere is an awful lot of fun that comes from hard work." Even after all th e amazing shows the Fryes directed, there was no end in Sight for the dynamiC duo. When asked when h e might direct his last show Steve Frye Simply said, "Every year is a new year. Every year is a fresh year . Every story is unique. There are st ill things I want to accomplish. I want to leave a legacy more Christ centered." Steven Chandler spring sing 11
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==